Middle-of-the-road perspectives

“Liberals Aren’t As Smart As They Think”

Much to my surprise the New York Times published an op-ed by Gerald Alexander, a professor at the University of Virginia, titled “Liberals, You’re Not As Smart As You Think.” It’s an insightful piece that takes a perspective that many conservatives hold relating to the tactics of liberals in America.

For several years, and especially during the Obama and Trump administrations, liberals have proclaimed their superiority and denigrated, as bigots and morons, any Americans or groups of citizens who disagree with their political opinions and, more recently voted for Donald Trump. Clearly this tactic backfired in 2016 as about half of America voted for, and elected, an inexperienced, self-aggrandizing and crude businessman to hold the most powerful office in the world.

Liberals think they occupy the high political and moral ground because they “dominate the entertainment industry, many of the most influential news sources and American universities.” These progressives are frequently in the public eye. Their platforms enable them to “express values, confer credibility and celebrity and start national controversies that others really can’t ignore.”

This creates a sense of empowerment that “attract[s], but also annoy[s] and repel[s].” Often times this perceived attitude results in great resentment.

Liberal loudmouths are quick to apply the most damning labels on other Americas, including racist. This description should be used carefully. Saying Trump voters are racist means that the accuser effectively believes that 60 million Americans are bigots.

Commentary about facts relating to urban areas and people that live in them cannot be discussed in any forum without generating a great deal of emotion. If one says crime is prevalent in poor neighborhoods, it will likely be considered a racial slur, and the speaker will be labeled a racist.

President Obama masterfully attacked the wealthiest 1% of Americans by saying time and again that they do not pay their fair share. This trite commentary has been adopted by liberals and only serves to widen the gap between affluent and poor Americans, even as the former pays over 50% current income tax rates.

Many people are insulted by political propaganda spewed “from the Oscar stage.” Uniformed actors, who achieve great fame and fortune by reading scripts written by others, say conservative campus speakers damage our society and call voters misguided because they voted for a Republican. All this smacks of self-proclaimed (and undeserved) superiority.

Mr. Alexander believes that liberals should “not be so certain” that bigotry motivates people who disagree with them on issues such as immigration. Objecting to the influx of illegals into the country, somehow, has become a racial issue. Forget the $100 billion plus net cost of 12 million illegals in the country that is not being used to help needy Americans.

Self-righteousness can cause people to make improper assessments of others. This sense of superiority might be one of the most important reasons why we now have a man like Trump sitting in the White House. Yet liberals spend most of their time criticizing anyone who does not agree with their perspectives. Liberals infrequently offer something other than denigration of the president or others that support him. More often the group should propose actual alternatives, not just personal attacks.

Trump voters may be deplorable in the eyes of liberals, but Republicans currently hold the presidency and both houses of Congress. Moreover, unlike Obama who just talked, Trump has acted with authority to improve the status of America worldwide.

Liberals should recognize that they are damaging their own philosophical standing by allowing self-important, self-proclaimed intellectuals to represent them.

2 thoughts on ““Liberals Aren’t As Smart As They Think””

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and writing this enlightening piece after Gerald Alexanders piece in the Times. I have always been a far left liberal when it comes to social issues and have found myself frustrated and often sporting a grimace as I check in with CNN after a long day at the office. I hope that we can at some point find a middle ground and learn to play nicely before we end up in a civil war. I will admit, that I believe 100 percent that Trump is not to be trusted and is an global embarrassment for our wonderful country. I believe that social media is the most significant tool that divides our country as our moods and opinions are controlled by algorithms that tell us only what we want to hear and connect us with people who only share our POV. I always enjoy your fiscally conservative perspective and agree with so many of your points here. I only wish more liberals and conservatives would take a walk down the middle of the road once in a while to find some common ground.